DBMS is a common method of storing, organizing, and manipulating data. DBMS can provide a reliable and transparent way to store large amounts of data. Although DBMS makes it easier to store, manage, and manipulate low-level data (binary data), DBMS is still complex to operate.
Many database administrators and software professionals use character-driven data interfaces. These interfaces provide freedom and power in data management and manipulation. However, these interfaces do not provide a transparent, human-friendly interaction with data. This is one reason for the use of visual interfaces that non-software professionals, computing devices, and communication devices can understand and interpret.
There are several problems associated with conventional visual interfaces. For example, access to data is limited to interfaces that are accessed through specialized software installed on the user's computing or communication device. This implies that users can access their data through devices that include this specialized software. Specialized software is software that is not pre-installed on a standard computing or communication device. For example, a web browser such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, or software pre-installed (“usually comes with”) on a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), mobile device (e.g., cell phone), or another computing or communication device is not considered to be specialized software. On the other hand, Crystal Reports is report generating software that does not come pre-installed with most computers; therefore, it may be considered to be specialized software.
DBMSs produced by competing companies are generally incompatible. Although most DBMSs use a standard Structured Query Language (SQL) to manage data, internal organization of different DBMSs may differ considerably. Furthermore, different DBMSs may implement different dialects of SQL. Thus, to implement multiple DBMSs different versions of SQL may be employed.